Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

By Yelena Jenkins

Turkey in Times Square

Each year, the biggest and best parade floats can be found at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Since 1924, this Manhattan holiday fixture has been entertaining Americans on Thanksgiving. Here's a little background on the famous parade, and an idea for how to celebrate with your own Parade Day Party:

Fun Fact: Each parade float is constructed in Hoboken, NJ. The floats must be carefully constructed so that they can fold down to 8 feet wide by 12.5 feet high to fit through the Lincoln Tunnel en route to Manhattan.

Tips

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How You Can Celebrate the Parade: Breakfast Bar Suggestions

Thanksgiving is already a pretty hectic day, with relatives often flying in from across the country. That said, your Parade Party should be fun, easy and laid-back - not a source of additional stress!

Since the parade starts at 9 AM (in all time zones), a breakfast buffet is a great way to get family and friends together to watch. We've come up with a few fun ideas to try, below:

Cereal Bar
Set out 5-10 different types of cereal, bowls of different chopped fruit and soy milk, 2% and nonfat milk so guests can self-serve.
Granola & Yogurt Bar
Buy a few types of granola, set out plenty of chopped fruit and vanilla, plain and strawberry yogurt for your guests.
Make Your Own Stack Bar
Serve 3 or 4 different types of pancakes and let guests make their own perfect stack. Types to try include: Blueberry pancakes, chocolate chip pancakes, banana pancakes, and good old fashioned regular pancakes. You can even serve crepes as an alternative! Don't forget to have plenty of maple syrup handy (regular and sugar-free), as well as orange juice.
Traditional Breakfast Bar
Cook up some chicken sausage, turkey bacon and plenty of scrambled eggs. Set them out in troughs to keep them warm, and let guests dig in.

History and Traditions

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Notable Moments in the Macy's Parade History

1924: Macy's employees decided to entertain the city with a Thanksgiving Day Parade that wound throughout the streets of Manhattan. It was such a success that it became an annual tradition!

1942 - 1944:

The only break in the Parade's history came during World War II, when the Parade balloons were donated to the war effort thanks to a rubber shortage.

1945:

The first year the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade was televised. This was also the first year the Parade toured its current 2.5 mile route.

1979:

The first year a broadcast of the Parade was awarded an Emmy award for outstanding achievement. Since then, it has received the award an additional eight times.

Present:

Every year, over 2.5 million people watch the parade live from the streets of Manhattan, and 44 million watch on TV.

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